TGME Round 2: Pulp Fiction Vs. Fight Club

[GregMcduck]

How Round 2 works: Each poll will be open for one week. If you didn't get around to it in Round 1, please take the time to the film or films before voting. Two new matches put up every Monday and Thursday.

Pulp Fiction (1994) vs. Fight Club (1999)



Defeated Office Space in Round 1

"PULP FICTION" is everything it's said to be: brilliant and brutal, funny and exhilarating, jaw-droppingly cruel and disarmingly sweet. Quentin Tarantino, the postmodern Boy Wonder of American crass culture, for whom the only thing to fear is boredom itself, has produced a work of mesmerizing entertainment. To watch this movie (whose 2 1/2 hours speed by unnoticed) is to experience a near-assault of creativity.

The multi-plot story, whose almost-Escherian design becomes apparent as the movie progresses, is too involved to outline. Essentially, the film's a narrative circle of interconnecting, time-jumping episodes, in which various pulp-fictional gangsters, molls and palookas deal with bizarre occurrences in their lives. In the end, everything comes together in a multi-ironic Tarantino reverie. The never-a-dull-moment drama is propelled by its crazy-casting dream team: Samuel L. Jackson is unforgettable as a philosophical killer who quotes Ezekial before his ritual executions. Uma Thurman, serenely unrecognizable in a black wig, is marvelous as a zoned-out gangster's girlfriend. Bruce Willis is a pug-faced charm as an aging boxer who refuses to throw a fight. And who knew John Travolta would produce the sweetest performance of his career as a good-natured goon?

As with his "Reservoir Dogs," Tarantino delves into the working-stiff world of crime. For the characters in "Pulp Fiction," killing, stealing and breaking fingers are merely occupational banalities.

Tied with The Big Lebowski in Round 1

Two points of view dominate "Fight Club." The first is that of our unnamed narrator, played by talented chameleon Edward Norton ("American History X," "Primal Fear"). He's a poor sap burdened by the blandness of his 9-to-5 life. Insomnia leads him to self-help groups where he's able to finally release some pent-up feelings (although he doesn't have testicular cancer or sickle cell anemia, just two of the many groups he likes to attend). What he desperately needs is an outlet for his frustration. What he finds is Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). Once the two meet, their viewpoints meld into one — Tyler's — until discord between them threatens to ruin both men.

Pitt is at his most daring as Tyler, the live wire who breathes life into our narrator's wildest fantasies. He wasn't afraid to get dirty for the role, even destroying the caps on his teeth to show the toll his fighting takes. He's the perfect embodiment of someone with nothing to lose, stoked for whatever comes next.

Norton is equally compelling as the soulless cog. He clings to Tyler's words and ideas: "Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says self-destruction might be the answer." And self-destruct they do, beginning with a darkly comic scene where Norton beats himself silly in his boss's office. There are equal elements of deliberation, intelligence and desperation at work here, and Norton squeezes every last drop from the scene.

Please take the time to watch any films you haven't seen before voting. You can use this thread to post your reviews, campaign for your preferred movie, or just discuss the movies in general.

[Tripe]

E-Z

And, by now, you should all know the reason. 

Although the one I didn't vote for gave rise to one of my favorite bits of schtick Jonathan Ross used to do.

[Relaxing Dragon]

Agh, this is an evil one. I really love both movies, they're two of my favorites. Both quotable, both have interesting stories (sure, Fight Club wins for being more innovative, but I still love Pulp Fiction's almost random blend), both have awesome characters... decisions, decisions...

I guess I'll go with Pulp Fiction. When I come right down to it, I just like the movie more. And I'm a big Tarentino fan, love that guy and all the movies he does (I love Fincher too, but I consider this vote his punishment for Panic Room).

[dignan]

Definitely Pulp Fiction for me. 

[bettertomorrowamy]

Fight Club!  Cuz it makes people snap to talk about it.

[jewishcarpenter]

I voted Fight Club.

[ScottotD]

NICE COMBINATION! 

Good way to beat the "darker = bad" feeling a lot of members seem to have, put two dark movies against each other.

[RoninFox]

Going with Fight Club here.  I generally enjoy Tarentino movies, but Pulp Fiction is probably my least favorite of his movies.  Not nearly as deep as Fight Club.

[Maverick Joe Six-Pack]

This is the hardest one yet (yes, that is what she said  )

They both have great soundtracks, brilliant performances, they both mix humor with action violence and both are films that make my girlfriend leave the room.  As I started to write my reasons for why Pulp Fiction is the best of the two I realized that Pulp Fiction is an incredibly entertaining and well made film but Fight Club makes a point about society and human nature and reminded the viewer that they aren't their fucking khakis.  It was close, but something had to be tie breaker. 

Point Fight Club

[CM916]

Fight Club is the rare movie that makes you think while still being extremely entertaining. This should be no contest.

[Relaxing Dragon]

This is the hardest one yet (yes, that is what she said  )

They both have great soundtracks, brilliant performances, they both mix humor with action violence and both are films that make my girlfriend leave the room.  As I started to write my reasons for why Pulp Fiction is the best of the two I realized that Pulp Fiction is an incredibly entertaining and well made film but Fight Club makes a point about society and human nature and reminded the viewer that they aren't their fucking khakis.  It was close, but something had to be tie breaker. 

Point Fight Club

This actually is a good point. However, I feel that the message of Fight Club was more of a 90's thing, and it just doesn't feel as strong today as it did back then. So, I think that Pulp holds up better today (of course, I know basically nothing about trends, fashion needs, and general fads so there's an excellent chance I'm wrong. Just speaking my mind here)

[Maverick Joe Six-Pack]

This is the hardest one yet (yes, that is what she said  )

They both have great soundtracks, brilliant performances, they both mix humor with action violence and both are films that make my girlfriend leave the room.  As I started to write my reasons for why Pulp Fiction is the best of the two I realized that Pulp Fiction is an incredibly entertaining and well made film but Fight Club makes a point about society and human nature and reminded the viewer that they aren't their fucking khakis.  It was close, but something had to be tie breaker. 

Point Fight Club

This actually is a good point. However, I feel that the message of Fight Club was more of a 90's thing, and it just doesn't feel as strong today as it did back then. So, I think that Pulp holds up better today (of course, I know basically nothing about trends, fashion needs, and general fads so there's an excellent chance I'm wrong. Just speaking my mind here)

I do think that Pulp Fiction is more of a timeless classic that will is an important film in cinematic history whereas Fight Club is more of a club classic adored by college kids all across the country (and there is definitely something to be said for that), but again, I love both of these movies so much that I had to pick something to break the tie so I chose the one that had a message.

[Rude]

...I had to pick something to break the tie so I chose the one that had a message.

Hey, Pulp Fiction has a message... and that message is that you do not give another man's wife a foot massage.

-Rude

[Keroppi20]

I choose Fight Club because it has Meat Loaf.

[Tripe]

With Boobies!